


Grade Nine: The Hidden Sanctum

by Luke_Dodge



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:34:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29289159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luke_Dodge/pseuds/Luke_Dodge
Summary: After a blizzard traps them within their high school Lukis and his friends encounter an entire new world hidden behind the wall of the school. The problem is, the entrance tunnel to this world vanished behind them. Now these seven friends are put to the test as they search for an exit from the world. Can this friend group stay together and survive this adventure or will pride and egos get in the way? Dangerous and fascinating terrain are not nearly the only obstacles the group will face.
Relationships: OMC/OMC





	1. Prologue

When I was little I never fit in with the other kids because I was a lot smarter than them. While most kids were learning to add and subtract basic numbers, I was doing advanced grade 8 work. The older kids didn't want to hang out with me because I was too young for them but, I was too mature for the rest of the kids my age.

I was the youngest person ever to receive a doctorate let alone multiple. I received my first two doctorates from the University Of Ottawa majoring in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies and minoring in Art History and Culture at age eleven; two years later I received my second set of doctorates from Carleton University double-majoring in Forensic Anthropology and Criminology.

Once I got my second set of doctorates I went back home and decided to go to high school so I could make an attempt to make some friends; for the first few weeks I struggled to find friends because while I was not the strongest or the fastest but, I was definitely without a shadow of a doubt the smartest person within the school. The reason I had encountered trouble acquiring friends was because I always spoke the first thing on my mind without stopping to process and filter the sentences that I was speaking. Around the last week of September I started to gain some friends which was beneficial and comforting. I spent a lot of time hanging out with my new found friends during lunch breaks and occasionally after school.

A month prior to the Christmas break I had hit a growth spurt, so I decided to go to the gym to build my muscle mass up (I wasn't weak in any form but, I wasn't as physically strong as I would've liked to be). I was running on the treadmill when a superhot guy came in and started running on the treadmill right beside mine. Looking out of the corner of my eye I saw him look at me so I pretended not to see him and then he stopped running. He said in a voice like the finest silk, "Hi I'm Ashton, what's your name?"

I was shocked that an obvious jock with an absolutely stunning body wanted to talk to me; I almost tripped over my feet looking at him so I stopped running and said, "My name's Lukis."

Ashton said, "You're new here aren't you?"

"Yeah how'd you know?"

"Cause I always know when a cute guy like you comes here."

"Y-You think I'm cute?" I stammered with my cheeks bright red out of gratitude and flattery.

Ashton noticed my red cheeks, looked down and said in a low soft voice, "You're straight aren't you?"

I said, "No I never have been, it's just that I thought you were."

"Why?"

"Because you look like a jock and my interactions with jocks in the past gave me the impression that all jocks were straight."

"Well I am a jock but, I'm not straight. I get what you're saying though most jocks are straight so I understand why you would think that I was. If you're gay does that mean you weren't offended when I was hitting on you?"

"I wasn't even slightly offended my cheeks went red because I was grateful and flattered that you were hitting on me."

"Say, you're pretty smart aren't you?"

"Yeah, I kind of have four doctorates."

"Oh, you're that Lukis."

Everyone that has ever said that to me ended up growing envious of me and not wanting to talk to me but, something about Ashton seemed... different like he didn't really care that I was smarter than him, he just wanted to be my friend. For a brief moment I remained silent just staring into his deep and oh so gorgeous green eyes and he was staring back into mine, which made me wonder what he was thinking about.

He asked, "What's wrong do I have something on my face."

I answered, "No I was just wondering what you were thinking."

"Well if you were wondering that why didn't you just ask?"

"I don't know so now I am asking what were you thinking about?"

"I was thinking that I don't have your number."

"You want my number?"

"Of course, I want to talk to you when we're not at the gym."

"It's 705-555-2169."

"Okay thanks, say I'm going swimming you wanna come?"

"Yeah definitely."

I had my swim shorts but, I hadn't planned on actually swimming today; Ashton's invitation was genuine which was the factor that had changed my mind. I happily followed his sexy ass into the change room; he randomly chose the locker next to mine when he came in, so he was changing right next to me. He took his shirt off and revealed a gorgeously stunning 8 pack of massive perfectly tanned abs. he took his pants off and quickly put his shorts on. Together we walked onto the pool deck and dove in.

I asked, "Why do you swim in your boxers?"

He answered, "Because I just do and besides, I just met you so you don't get to see my dick yet."


	2. Chapter One

The Monday after I met Ashton I went to school and there he was, standing in the doorway of the classroom directly across the hall from mine.

I saw him and he saw me, he followed me to my locker and said, "Hey Lukis, how was your weekend?"

I answered honestly by saying, "It was good, I spent most of it thinking about you and all of the fun we had on Friday."

He said, "Yeah me too, hey why didn't you tell me you went to school here?"

"Because you never asked."

"Well neither did you."

"Touché. What class do you have now?"

"Academic grade ten mathematics, how 'bout you?"

"Academic grade nine history."

The bell rang and we went into our classrooms; within the first fifteen minutes of class I went as far as I was allowed (which was the end of the unit) so I spent the remaining sixty minutes half listening to the teacher but, mostly thinking about Ashton. I had fallen in love with an absolutely stunning guy and him with me. Second period was no different I went as far as I could on the work then spent the rest of the class thinking about Ashton. The lunch bell rang pulling me back to reality from the trance like state I had gone into. Walking to my locker my friend Jeremy came up behind me and said, "Hey man what's up? You seemed quite distracted in history and in English."

I responded, "I'm fine I was just thinking."

"'Bout what?"

"Stuff."

"Okay if you don't want to tell me I won't dig."

"Thank you."

"Just know that I'm here for you if you wanna talk."

"I Know, I'll see you after lunch."

When I got to my locker I noticed that there was a folded piece of paper taped to the door. Carefully I peeled the edge of the tape up and off, freeing the paper so I unfolded it and it said,

Lukis,

I hang out under the east bleachers in the gym during lunch. I find you fascinating and want to learn everything I possibly can about you. I hope you feel the same way about me and I'm curious if you'd care to join me and my friends for lunch today so we can get to know each other better and perhaps, you and I could hang out after school today or tomorrow. My curiosity and my emotions as well as my feelings for you are overwhelming and exciting. I've never felt this way before and I know that I just met you but, you make me feel so happy; you also make me temporarily forget everything that's going wrong in my life. With you I see a bright future for you and for me and I would really love your company at lunch today. So far today the only thing that has been on my mind has been you, I didn't realise just how deeply I had fallen in love with you until now.

Ashton Dallas

As soon as I finished reading I quickly entered my combo, grabbed my lunch, and pretty much ran down the halls. I jumped down the stairs and went running over to and then through the gym doors. I sprinted across the floor towards the east bleachers. The first person I saw was Ashton who immediately sprang up and came over to me. He said, "Hey you got my note, I was hoping you'd come."

I said, "Yeah, I'm curious about you too and plan was to find you at lunch anyways."

Together he and I walked under the bleachers and I saw a few people that I knew as well as some I didn't. Ashton introduced me to his friends and them to me. I sat down next to Ashton who looked like he was trying to solve all of the world's problems in his head. I asked him, "Hey what's up you seem very distracted today or at least right now."

He said, "Oh nothing, I'm fine."

Ashton's friend Blake said, "Ashton you're not fine, you've got that look on your face."

Ashton looked up at her and said flatly, "Blake I said I'm fine really it's nothing."

"All she's saying Ashton is that she's worried about you, we all are." Stated Blake's brother Zach

"I was thinking about her, tomorrow is the third anniversary of the accident."

I had no idea what he was talking about but, I could see that the subject was upsetting him so I said nothing and instead looked at Zack who mouthed, "I'll explain later, now's not the time". I nodded and tried to brighten Ashton's mood by changing the subject. I said, "Hey Ashton did you catch the hockey game last night?" Luckily for me the subject change worked, he said, "Yeah it was a good game, it was so awesome when they made that backwards pass slap shot combo in the third period."

I said, "Yeah that was pretty cool."

For the rest of the lunch break we talked about all the different parts of the hockey game we'd seen. The bell rang and we all went off to our lockers to get our stuff. I stuffed my lunch bag into my backpack and grabbed my binder. As I was walking to science Zack caught up with me and said, "Hey, man."

"Hey, what was Ashton talking about earlier?"

"He was talking about his sister; she... she got hit by a drunk driver as she was walking to her boyfriend's house. It happened on the 18th of November 2014 just in front of the old furniture factory."

"Oh my God that's horrible."

"Yeah, it destroyed him. He slipped into depression and unfortunately there were even a couple of times where he attempted to join Sophie. He was devastated and he was even more destroyed than his parents because he and Sophie were very close."

"No wonder he got so upset at lunch, what was she like?"

"Sophie was a lot of fun and she was like Ashton in so many ways. He still blames me and won't forgive me for what happened even though we are friends again."

"Why on Earth would he blame you for what happened in the first place?"

"He blames me because I was the guy dating Sophie and I asked her to come over to my house."

"It wasn't your fault, Zack. I'm sure Ashton realises that."

"Nah, he doesn't he just thinks that I should've been a gentleman by coming over to get her instead of texting her and asking her to come over."

"It's not like you knew what was going to happen."

"He's still mad and won't let it go."

"If you want I could talk to him."

"I wouldn't recommend it; he is super sensitive about his sister. He was super protective of her and he still is. If someone tries talking to him about whom he holds responsible or about that day in detail he gets very angry. Ashton is calm and passive most of the time but, when he's mad the combination of his strength, speed, martial arts skill, and his temper is very scary."

I never had Ashton pegged as the type who even had a temper but, it was clear that Zack had seen Ashton's temper first hand. Zack's warning made me have second thoughts about trying to talk to Ashton about Zack being innocent. Aston will obviously not accept that fact but, he still wants to be Zack's friend. I knew better than to ask further questions because I didn't want to upset either of my friends. Zack and I walked into the science room and sat down at the table. I saw Zack check a very pretty girl out but, didn't say anything, then he asked, "What do you say to the girl of your dreams if she doesn't go anywhere without her friends but, you want to tell her how you feel about her?"

I replied, "How should I know? I know what most guys like I don't know a damn thing about what girls want."

"Yeah, true."

"If you really like her you should probably tell her how you feel about her even if her friends are there."

"You think so?"

"Sure a good looking guy like you, she'll say yes."

"I thought you didn't know what chicks want."

"I don't I'm just assuming."

He chuckled and said, "Oh boy you're funny."

"Yeah but, if you really like her I suggest following your heart it's probably right."

"Ok I'll do it tomorrow."

"Why not now?"

Without verbally saying anything he told me, "Now are you freaking crazy? We're in class and the teacher's coming in."

We spent the science class dissecting a frog and talking but, I was only talking to distract me from what was really on mind (well who was on my mind) Ashton. I was thinking about my feelings for him, his feelings for me, and most of all his pain. For me seeing Ashton in pain and upset is troubling. I love him and I think he loves me but, since I am not his boyfriend it is not my place to comfort him in the way I feel necessary (meaning a kiss, a hug, as well as an intimate night.) The words "Intimate night" kept circling around in my head, just flustering around my brain because of my feelings for Ashton. I wish I was Ashton's boyfriend so I can give him what I truly want to; if I'm right about Ashton's feelings for me it could happen and if maybe when it does I'll make sure it's the best night of his life. My phone buzzed in my pocket just as I was leaving the room, I pulled it out and there were three new messages from a number that I didn't recognise, I opened them and they said, "Hey Lukis, it's Ashton. Do you wanna hang out after school today? What's up?"

I replied with, "I'd love to hang with u, only thing that's really up is my thoughts and feelings for u."

"Awwww thanks man."

"Say, do you wanna skip fourth period and chill with me?"

"You're damn right I do I'll meet u @your locker."

"Good c u in a bit."

"😊😊"

I ran to my locker, threw my stuff in, and grabbed my jacket. I made sure my wallet was still in the inside pocket, it was. Ashton was standing next to me and he said, "Well I'm here where do you wanna go?"

"Well, we could go to the movie theatre if you want."

"Ok, sounds good. I'm gonna go get my bag."

"Why? You don't need it."

"Ok then, let's go."

Together we walked down the sidewalk to the movie theatre. We looked at the digital board that displayed all the movies showing this week and I asked Ashton, "What do you wanna see?"

He said, "Justice League."

"Justice League it is."

We walked up to the ticket sales lady and said, "Hi, can we please get two tickets to the one o'clock showing of Justice League?"

She said, "Yeah that'll be $17.50."

I handed her a twenty and she gave me the tickets and my change. Ashton and I walked over to the concession stand, picked our snacks, and then found our seats. As we were watching the movie I found my hand sliding over to his but, I pulled it back before I actually made contact. When the movie finished we walked back to the school and grabbed our stuff.

That night I couldn't sleep I just lay there awake and thinking about Ashton, about the time we had at the movie, and most of all about his body. Two thoughts kept circling my head _" **I wonder if he actually is into me and feels the same way about me that I do about him. What happens if this goes to the next level?"**_ My thoughts were racing at a million miles an hour racing around my head.

At school the next morning as I was walking down one of the hallways Ashton pulled me aside and said, "Hey Lukis, I want to talk to you about something."

I replied, "Hey Ashton, What's up?"

"Last night I...I couldn't sleep; I was lying awake in bed all night thinking about you."

"Yeah, me too."

"Really?"

"Yeah my thoughts were racing around my head at a million miles an hour. All of them were about you."

"Yeah, it was like that for me too."

"I don't know why I feel like this about you already; I just met you but, I feel like I would do anything for you."

"Wow that's how I feel as well; I barely know you and yet I feel like I'd do anything for you."

"You wanna know me better? Let's make that happen."

"Really? How?"

"Let's go out for lunch, just the two of us and let's get to know each other."

"Ok, I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, I'll see you soon."

By the time lunch rolled around my anxiety and my emotions were boiling against my chest, making my heart pound like a subwoofer, and my breath constant and heavy like a jet turbine. I didn't see him anywhere when I got to my locker so I just figured that he'd meet me downstairs but, once I had my stuff in my locker I heard his voice and almost jumped out of my skin. The look in his eyes was a mixture of regret for scaring me and amusement for my reaction.

I said, "Jeez, you're gonna give me a heart attack Ashton."

He responded, "Sorry man, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Uh huh, sure you didn't."

"I swear, I legit didn't mean to scare you."

"Ok, I believe you just don't do that again."

We went to lunch at a small diner down the road. Ashton and I ate slowly so wecould talk but, my heart was still pounding like a subwoofer which made it hardto eat a bacon double cheeseburger or talk. The lunch hour seemed to go way toofast, I didn't want to go back to school because it meant separating fromAshton. I finished the textbooks and continued thinking about Ashton.


	3. Chapter Two

The Monday after a three day weekend caused by the massive snowfall I was walking to school when Ashton came up beside me and said, "Holy crap this is a lot of snow."

I replied, "Yeah tell me about it, this is frigging ridiculous."

"Yeah I know, it's hard to believe that Thursday we didn't have any snow and now we're buried in it."

I was about to respond when I slipped on some black ice as I was falling I said, "Oh shit."

Before I hit the ground Ashton reached out and caught me holding me in his arms. The feeling of the muscles in his forearm slightly muffled by our jackets but, still ever present against my back and the smell of his cologne clean and crisp against the frosted air filling my nose with the sweet smell of roses and cinnamon. I was speechless while being wrapped and caressed by the sweet intoxicating smell of Ashton's cologne and the proximity of our bodies. Everything inside of me stirred with ambition and passion just wanting to reach up and kiss him but, I used every ounce of self-control I had to stand up straight instead of giving into my desires.

"Are you okay?" Ashton asked me.

"Yeah I'm.... I'm good, thanks for that." I replied.

"Anytime, you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah I'm pretty sure."

I still was resisting the urge to kiss him but, we agreed to take the relationship slow and we'd only been going out for a couple weeks. We walked into the school but, there was a new light to Ashton that wasn't there before which I'm pretty sure meant that he was having almost identical feelings and urges that I was. When we met up with our friends at lunch there was an electrifying and ambitious tension between Ashton and I. Our friends seemed to notice but, not say anything or just not notice at all.

After a while Zack looked at Ashton and I and asked, "What's up with you two?"

I answered, "Nothing why?"

Zack said, "Lukis, You're a bad liar."

"I'm not lying."

"Uh huh, I call bullshit."

Ashton looked at me and then he said, "Should we tell 'em? It's up to you."

Zack asked with a mild hint of suspicion in his voice, "Tell us what Ashton?"

I answered, "Nothing, just forget it ok."

Blake chimed in by saying, "Well you kinda have to tell us now because we know you're hiding something."

I said flatly, "I don't **have** to do anything Blake." I was on the defensive because even though I knew my friends wouldn't judge us, I wasn't ready to tell them about Ashton and I.

Blake looked at Ashton expectantly but, he remained silent not exposing our secret. Finding amusement in our friends' frustration brought a smirk to my face. After about 10 minutes of asking and not getting the answer our friends were about to give up when I looked at Ashton and nodded.

Ashton said, "Ok, I'll tell you but, It's not to leave this group understand?"

Everyone nodded so Ashton said, "Lukis and I are together, this morning he slipped on some ice but, I caught him before he could fall. When I had him in my arms something happened and I had to fight every urge in my body so I didn't kiss him."

Well there it was our secret out there and my suspicions were confirmed. Our friends looked mildly surprised but, not in total shock over the news. Zack said, "Oh, how long has that been going on?"

I replied, "A couple weeks, you don't seem that surprised by the news."

Zack said, "I'm not really, I had my suspicions I just didn't ask. Why didn't you tell us sooner? Did you really think we'd tell anyone else?"

Ashton answered, "Truthfully we didn't know what you'd do which is why we didn't say anything about it."

The group looked a little hurt by that admission but, sometimes the truth hurts. Our lunch went surprisingly smooth after that and confirming what I already knew would happen no one in our group judged us or made a big thing of it.

After school I went home with Ashton and hung out with him for a few hours. We were in the middle of a race on Need for speed when he paused the game and looked at me. He looked into my eyes with a look so exhilarating and exciting that I didn't know what to call it. I put my controller down and moved closer to him something inside me was over ruling everything else that told me "no" or "don't do it". Without thinking I moved as close to him as I possibly could, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. He was clearly feeling the same things I was because without hesitation he leaned into me and kissed me a deep, hot, powerful, love filled tender kiss. He broke the kiss and in between his heavy breaths he said, "What are we doing? I thought we were gonna take things slow."

I responded still trying to catch my breath, "Yeah I know but, there's no real reason to fight our feelings."

I tilted my head up and he leaned down and our lips met again just as powerful as before. He leaned me back on the couch kissing me, I felt his fingers start pulling at the bottom of my shirt and that's when I grabbed his hands and pushed away.

He stopped kissing me and asked, "What's wrong did I hurt you?"

I replied, "No, It's just that I don't want to go too fast and I'm not quite ready for that yet."

"Ok I understand, I'm not gonna make you do anything you don't want to."

"Thanks for understanding."

"Yeah I get it."

We went back to racing but, that heat was still there. My mind was wondering how far things would've gone if I hadn't stopped Ashton, whether or not things would've gone all the way but, then the logical part reminded the voice that I wasn't ready for sex yet. When I left Ashton's house an hour later my thoughts were out of control, just spinning around my head like a tornado of emotion and desire.

The next day when I saw Ashton he came up to me and kissed me on the forehead. He was in a good mood and it was clear that he was feeling the same as me. There was a deep and wonderful look of passion and love in his eyes that gleamed in the sun. The light from the sun made the different shades of brown in his hair seem to glow. As we walked to class we were talking about everything that happened the day before but, we were also talking about our Christmas plans. Since I finished the textbooks on Friday I just sat there on my phone thinking about Ashton.

At lunch Ashton and I were sitting under the bleachers before any of our friends got there. I was sitting in front of Ashton with his arms wrapped around my chest. Our friends came in and saw us sitting there so they sat down with some mixed looks. Blake had a questioning and amused look on her face, which I found interesting.

Blake looked at me and said, "Judging by the way you're sitting I'm assuming that something happened between you two last night."

I looked up at Ashton and then said, "Yeah but, it didn't go too far."

Blake looked at me expectantly and said, "Meaning what exactly?"

Ashton answered, "Meaning we kissed for a while but, he stopped me from taking his shirt off so that's as far as it went."

Blake looked suspicious but, didn't say anything further about it. Colton looked almost jealous seeing me with Ashton but, he didn't say anything which was the norm with him. Zack was sitting there looking at his phone and avoiding his sister's glances.

I looked up at Ashton and said in Russian, "I think Colton has a crush on you."

To that comment Ashton responded also in Russian, "You think so? Why do you say that?"

"The way he looks at you and the look of jealousy in his eyes right now over me sitting with you and what we told them."

"Well shit, how long do you think he's had a crush on me?"

"I'd say quite a while judging by the looks."

Zack looked at us and said in English, "What are you two saying?"

I replied, "Nothing."

He retorted "You're full of it. What were you talking about?"

I responded, "Not here, you'd understand if you spoke Russian."

Drew said in Russian, "He may not speak Russian but, I do and I know what you were saying. In answer to your question he's had a crush on you since last year."

Ashton replied, "That explains a lot, why did he tell you but, not me?

Drew answered, "He didn't tell you because he's scared of rejection but, he's hurting and jealous that you're with Lukis instead of him."

Zack cut in and said in English, "Will you three knock it off, would it kill you to speak in English instead of Russian so the whole group knows what the hell you're saying."

I looked at Zack and said in English, "Not here at least not about this. I'll explain and translate later."

Zack finally took the hint and changed the subject. While we were conversing with the group Ashton, Drew, and I would occasionally switch to Russian to say stuff about other people that we didn't want being heard or understood, which annoyed Zack more and more. He liked being able to be a part of the conversations instead of being left out. When the bell rang we all left but, Zack followed Ashton and I wanting to know what we were talking about in Russian.

I looked at Zack and said, "We were talking about how Colton has a crush on Ashton and how he's jealous that I'm with Ashton instead of him."

"Oh, I didn't know that he had a crush on you Ashton or that he was even into guys."

Ashton replied, "I know but, thinking back on it now that I do know, the signs were there and evident."

Zack said, "Now I understand why you switched to Russian, it was so he didn't know that you know his secret."

I looked at Zack with an extremely serious look and said, "This is still a secret and you can't tell anyone especially him."

Zack retorted, "I wouldn't anyways, I'm not an ass I don't go around spilling your secrets do I?"

I answered, "No you don't."

Ashton looked at me and asked with a hint of mild suspicion, "Secrets? You hiding something from me?"

"No, I haven't withheld anything from you since we got together."

"If you are which I'm not saying you are but, if you are I know you'll tell me when you're ready." Ashton stated noticing that I was getting defensive not that I needed to.

I wasn't entirely sure why I got so defensive because I had nothing to hide from Ashton; I told him everything about me. My emotions were confusing me which troubled me because I've always tried to maintain control over my feelings. I wanted so badly to bury my face Ashton's chest and just let my emotions run rampant but, I decided against that because we were in the middle of the school.

I looked at Ashton and said, "I'm sorry Ash, I don't know why I got so defensive because I already told you everything about me and I'm not hiding anything."

Ashton responded, "It's ok and I was only joking with you I wasn't accusing you of anything."

Zack cut in saying, "Are you two gonna start making out cause if so I'm outta here."

I shot Zack a look and then walked off to my class. My grades were off the charts and I had the highest mark in the whole class in all of my classes. I was always finishing the assignments first. I recently took up drawing and I was fairly good at it so I was sitting in class drawing a picture of some field of flowers but, I wanted a shirtless drawing model that I couldn't have yet although I'd have my drawing model after school. I had a photographic memory so if I actually felt like it I could've drawn the picture of Ashton shirtless but, I wanted to do that drawing in person.

After class I noticed the weather was turning bad with heavy snow falling and swirling in what looked like a hurricane force wind. Ashton came up to me and said, "Hey Luke what's up?"

I replied, "Hey Ash, look at the weather."

Ashton responded sarcastically, "Oh wonderful, walking home is gonna be so much fun."

"Yeah tell me about it."

"I'm gonna call my dad and see if he can come get us."

Ashton pulled his phone out and cursed in Russian while looking at it.

I said, "Hey, hey that's a little harsh. What's wrong?"

He answered, "Sorry, It's just that the weather knocked out the cell service.'

I looked at my phone and sure enough there was no service, and I too cursed in Russian at the annoyance. Ashton gave me a sly look and I muttered another curse directed at me for being a hypocrite. He gave me another look so I looked at him and shrugged.

The principal's voice came over the intercom system saying, "Please excuse this interruption but, due to the extreme weather and the fact that we've been snowed in we have to keep the students here for the night at the very least. All phone services have been downed by the storm meaning that communication has been cut off by the weather. Sorry for the inconvenience but, unfortunately it is out of our control."

I cursed in Russian again and this time Ashton agreed with me. I wasn't happy with the fact that I had to stay overnight at school with over 1500 people but, I figured that with Ashton and our friends there it wouldn't be so bad. I put my stuff in my locker and slammed the door. I walked down to the cafeteria with Ashton and the rest of our friend group who were equally as unhappy. When we got to the caf we realized that everyone had the same idea. So we went back upstairs to one of the empty classrooms.

I looked at Ashton and said suggestively, "I could really use a drawing model, if you're interested."

Ashton took off his shirt and said, "Where do you want me?"

I replied, "Wherever you're comfortable."

Ashton stood up and leaned against the wall so I got to work, sketching and shading every little detail I saw before me. Once I was finished the drawing I showed Ashton and the group the picture and most of their jaws hit the floor by the amazing detail. I didn't want Ashton to put his shirt back on and it was clear that Colton didn't want him to either but, Ashton did it anyways.

I said, "Ahhhh come on Ash, take your shirt back off."

Ashton responded, "Sorry babe not this time, we're still at school after all."

Blake said, "That's never stopped you before so why is it that when your boyfriend asks you say no?"

I arched an eyebrow at Ashton and said, "Yeah Ash, why is that?"

Ashton shot Blake a sly look and then looked at me, took his shirt off again and then said, "There, and before you ask the backstory of that remark it was a few hot days last year so I walked around the school shirtless for most of the day."

Colton was the one who spoke next which took everyone by surprise; he said, "I remember that week, it was great seeing that sexy body of yours in nothing but, shorts and shoes. I didn't want the weather to end but, when it did you put your shirt back on and that was that."

Ashton didn't know what to say and frankly I don't think anyone did. Most of the time Colton was so quiet and withdrawn that hearing him speak in general was a big enough shock but, hearing speak about Ashton like that was a massive surprise to everyone except Ashton, Drew, and I. 


	4. Chapter Three

Our friend group stayed the night in the empty classroom; I woke up on Ashton's chest with his arm around my back. The blizzard completely blocked all the exits with over eight feet of snow. Instead of having a snow day at home we had a snow day at school. The seven of us decided to spend the day in that empty classroom instead of trying to put up with all the people.

The blizzard kept circling and storming up showing its big ugly dangerous face keeping us trapped at school. I wasn't complaining too much though because I was with my friends and Ashton. Ashton kept his shirt off most of the time only putting it back on when the heater wasn't doing enough for him.

Just after we got our breakfast on our way back up to the empty classroom a lukewarm breeze escaped into the hall but I just assumed it was from one of the science labs. Ashton didn't look concerned either but, then a realisation occurred to me; the science labs were on the other end of the building. I dismissed any unexplainable answer given how many people were in the building I figured that someone probably had a heater fan going.

Once we were back in the empty classroom Blake said, "Well at least this storm hasn't taken out the power yet. It would really suck if on top of everything the power went out taking the heat and kitchen with it."

I replied, "Yeah I suppose you've got a point there."

We ate our food talking about anything except the weather, as if not talking about it would make it go away; it didn't. Just to lighten our moods Ashton started humming the opening beat of Fall Out Boy's Thnks Fr Th Mmrs I joined in the humming starting to sing the first lyrics; then Blake started singing, and one by one the group joined in on the song until we were all singing and smiling, not giving a damn about the snow. We sang along with as many songs as we could, humming the beats of the ones we couldn't.

Nearing lunchtime the lights started flickering but, refused to go out completely which was good, despite how annoying the inconsistent flicker was. My sketch book was filling up at a constant pace because I needed something to do instead of just sitting there on my butt twiddling my thumbs.

Shortly after lunch the power completely went out which once again made me curse in Russian to which Zack said, "Ok, I many not speak Russian but, it doesn't take a linguist to know that was a curse."

I looked at him and said sarcastically, "No really? What gave you that impression?"

Zack replied, "What indeed. I know that you don't curse."

I rolled my eyes at him and gave him a smug look. I went over to Ashton and leaned back pressing into his chest. The sweet intoxicating smell of his cologne had faded significantly but, it was still there enough to wrap around my body like a blanket. Ashton at me and said, "Annoying isn't it, having your own sarcasm met by equal sarcasm?"

I lightly elbowed him in the ribs and said, "Shut up, you're supposed to be on my side."

He replied, "And I am, I just found amusement in that."

Feeling Ashton's steady heartbeat on the base of my neck made me feel optimistic about the situation and the fact that we were stuck at school. The heavy wind continued hammering the window but, with Ashton so close and the feeling of his breath on the top of my head even that annoyance was put on the back burner. I fell into deep thought not paying attention to anything except my thoughts.

I felt Ashton nudge me on the back which pulled me out of my thoughts so I looked at him and asked, "What?"

He replied, "Blake's talking to you."

I looked at Blake and she said, "Thanks man, I was saying Lukis, that you looked like you were high or something. What's up with you?"

I answered, "I'm not high, I was just lost in thought and I zoned out for a little bit."

Ashton looked at me and said, "What were you thinking about?"

"A lot of stuff," I replied suggestively and jokingly, "like what would've happened if I hadn't stopped you, what we could do. All that stuff."

"Oh, I see." Ashton's voice was soft and sweet in my ear.

As the day faded the lack of florescent light became increasingly annoying and a lot harder to see. With the last ounces of daylight rapidly fading Zack left for about fifteen minutes, when he came back he was carrying a flashlight and a duffel bag.

I looked at him as he emptied the contents of the bag: 3 tents, eight sleeping bags, A camping stove, Propane canisters, matches, a hunting knife, Thermal blankets, a few battery powered lamps, a mini generator, a bunch of MREs and cans of food, a satellite phone, a bunch of batteries, a walkie talkie, a whistle, high visibility vest, a full body camouflage suit ,and a Colt .45 calibre pistol with extra ammo.

Blake looked at her brother and asked, "Why is your hunting bag at school?"

"Hey, it's not like I have my rifle," Zack protested, "Lay off my back would ya? It's not like I'm a psychopath or anything."

"That's not the point Zack," Blake argued, "The point is that you have weapons at school."

"I always have weapons at school Blake," Zack retorted, "I never leave the house without my knife."

"Hey," I snapped, "would you two cut it out it's not a big deal, the damn thing was buried at the bottom of the bag and it's not like he even hinted at the fact that he had it at school so just chill out."

"Yeah see Blake, it's not a big deal." Zack stated.

I looked at Zack and said flatly, "Shut up Zack you're sister isn't entirely wrong, if the police or even the school decided to search your locker you would've gotten charged."

Ashton finally snapped and said, "Ok **_Everyone_** shut up! Blake stop pestering your brother, Zack stop being a little shit and put the damn thing away."

Ashton's harsh tone and commanding attitude took everybody by surprise and without saying another word about it, Zack put the gun away and Blake stopped getting on her brother's case about it. I was shocked by his flare of anger that showed me that he did indeed have a temper and knew how to use it. I looked at him in the pale light cast by the lanterns and the hardened look on his face instantly softened into his normal compassionate expression that he used towards me.

As dusk faded to dark I wanted to be closer to Ashton to escape the cold and apparently he had the same desire because he grabbed one of the thermal blankets and lay on the floor gesturing me to join him. I curled up beside him pressing into the warmth of his chest once more.


	5. Chapter Four

When we woke the next morning we made a few MREs and just kept to ourselves. After spending two nights sleeping against his chest I wanted Ashton more and more but, I kept reminding myself that I wasn't ready for sex yet and even if I were I wouldn't do it here, not at school. Our group sat and conversed amongst each other because we couldn't do anything else without having to deal with annoying crowds.

About midway through the third day of being trapped everyone was getting rambunctious and my sketch book was completely filled with drawings but, we never started arguing again. A warm and fragrant breeze whipped through the halls and into our classroom.

I looked at Ashton and asked, "Did you feel that?"

Ashton looked at me and said, "It's probably from one of the science labs don't worry about it."

"Ash, that wasn't from the science labs it smelled of fresh berries and wildflowers and both are out of season."

"Yeah, you're right. We should investigate."

"Hell yeah we should, let's go."

Zack was intrigued by our curiosity so he started packing up the stuff putting it all back into the duffel bag. Everyone else was a little confused but, nonetheless decided to come with us just to get off their asses and out of the classroom. I was pretty much running down the hall following the smell and breeze to its source the group was hot on my heels following me. When we reached the apparent source I paused because it was a brick wall but, when I knocked on the brick the wall opened revealing a hidden tunnel with a bright light at the end. We cautiously walked down the tunnel towards the light. The walls of the tunnel were moist and thick grass covered the floor.

We emerged out the other end of the tunnel both amazed and confused by what lay before us: a whole other world. As I looked around I noticed things that shouldn't be possible but, clearly were; there was water flowing uphill, trees growing out the sides of cliff faces sticking straight out perpendicular to the cliff, and hundreds of strange creatures.

I looked at my friends and noticed they were looking to Ashton and I for leadership so I said, "Don't look at me, I may be a genius but, I have absolutely no clue how any of this is even possible."

Colton said, "Even still, we're gonna follow the strongest and smartest out of the group and those two people are you and Ashton."

Ashton looked at Zack expecting him to step up but, he just shook his head as did everyone else which left Ashton and I in charge of everyone. I looked at Ashton and said, "Well it appears that we've been elected as the leaders, what do you think we should do Ash?"

Ashton responded, "I don't know but, I know we can't go back the way we came."

I looked at the tunnel or tried to at least because the entire tunnel had vanished and I cursed in Russian again.

I said, "I don't know what we should do, this is kind of a first for me I mean we just found a whole other world within a wall of our high school so yeah."

Ashton came over to me and whispered in my ear, "What should we do babe? I'm just as confused as you are but, we need to be the leaders they want us to be."

As much as I hated to admit it but, they were right Ashton and I were truly the group's best chance of survival. I had absolutely no idea what to do as I looked around at the strange new world. I noticed a mountain range off to my left and I said to the group, "Ok, I think I've got a plan. You guys see that mountain range over there?" I pointed to the mountains off to my left.

Drew said "Yeah, what about it?"

I looked at him and said, "Well, as far as I can see that's the highest point here so I figure that if we head towards the peak we can get a lay of the land and hopefully see a way out of here."

Everyone nodded as we started off towards the mountain range; Ashton making sure to match my pace the whole time. Having him at my side helped suppress my anxiety for a while. After what seemed like a few hours in the decreasing daylight I looked up at Ashton and asked, "Hey, do you think we should set up camp soon? It seems to be getting late."

He looked at me and said, "Yeah that sounds like a good idea, we've been walking for a while and besides I'm getting hungry."

I smirked at him and stated, "Of all the things that you're worried about, all the things on your mind, that's the one that takes precedence."

He smiled and said, "Well yeah obviously, I'm not a machine."

I punched him lightly on the shoulder and rolled my eyes at him. We found a large sheltered clearing so we decided to set up camp; after everything was set up and the fire was going I leaned against Ashton and he wrapped his arms around me pulling me closer to his chest, the feeling of his firm but, soft arms on my chest and his heartbeat on my neck helped me gather my thoughts and lose most of the stress I'd had all day.

After dinner we all settled into the tents; just as Ashton and I were entering our tent Blake gave us a sly smile and said, "You two behave yourselves but, if you won't just keep it quiet 'cause we don't want to spend the whole night hearing it."

Ashton looked at her and said with a smile, "We will and even if we weren't it wouldn't matter."

Blake smirked and then entered her tent as we entered ours. Ashton put his jacket on the floor and lay on it with open arms propping his bag under his head. I curled up beside him resting my head on his chest, the steady rise and fall of his chest was soothing and comforting.

He looked at me and said, "Hey, babe?"

I replied with,"Mmm, what's up?"

He softly asked me, "How're you holding up? With all of this?"

I answered, "Honestly, I don't know. I feel so lost and useless, I have outdoor survival training but, here it feels like my skills are useless; I have no idea how this is even possible."

He softly brushed one hand through my hair and said, "I'm always here for you, no matter what. If you need anything, I'll always stand at your side holding you in my arms."

"I know and that means more to me than you'll ever know but, this is still throwing me off my game. I don't feel strong; I feel weak and powerless."

"You're many things babe but, weak is not one of them."

"Thanks Ash, I just wish I was able to understand this place more."

"Don't beat yourself up for not understanding this place, understanding something that you've never encountered before is not possible; even the greatest minds get stumped sometimes."

"Yeah I know but, I still don't like it; I like understanding what's happening around me but, with this I am totally lost."

"I get that and I completely understand how you're feeling I'm in the same boat but, I know that with you at the helm I know we'll get through this."

I sat up looking him in the eye as I did and he followed my movements propping himself up on his arms. I looked at him and said, "You really think that? What if I screw up and someone gets hurt because of it?"

He shifted his weight to the side so he could move his other arm and as he did he reached out and gently ran his hand down my cheek to my collar bone tracing my jaw with his fingers. He pulled me into his chest in a deep warm hug and said, "Of course I think that you're the best chance of survival but, you're being paranoid, you're doubting your skills because you don't understand your surroundings and as a result of that you're thinking negatively. No matter what I'll keep you safe and I'll always do my absolute best to keep you happy."

I couldn't help but, smile in spite of my self-doubt I said, "Thank you for that and you have no idea how much it means to me knowing that you're always in my corner ready to spring into action to keep me safe and happy. I love you for that, frankly, I love everything about you."

Ashton started to blush a little bit and said in a soft voice, "Thank you and I'm not gonna lie to you, you mean everything to me and I love every little detail about you and I've never felt this way about anyone before."

"I'm honoured that I'm the first person you've truly fell in love with and that is an honour I don't make light of and being honest, you're my first love as well; you mean absolutely everything to me and I'll never let you go."

Ashton smiled as he leaned in to kiss me as our lips made contact I pushed him back and we started kissing hot and heavy but, once again I had to stop myself from getting too into it and remind myself that I wasn't ready for anything physical yet so instead I lay down beside him and rested my head on his chest smiling and enjoying the moment. It wasn't overly easy falling asleep that night but, once again I managed to fall into a deep sleep against Ashton's chest.

Around what I assumed was midnight there was a blood curdling screech waking everybody up. I looked at Ashton in a panic and frantically asked, "What the hell was that?!"

He forced a calm expression across his face and said, "I don't know but, I have a feeling it wasn't anything good."

I looked at him and said, "Well we should go investigate."

"You're absolutely right."

As Ashton and I exited our tent everyone else started emerging from their tents Zack had his gun in his hand. We heard the screech again and turned to see a strange creature that looked like an elephant crossbred with a triceratops, a wolf, and a panther standing off to the side looking at our camp. The creature screeched once more and Ashton took up a protective stance in front of me, standing between me and the creature. As we watched the creature observe us we noticed that it was making no effort or attempt to attack instead it approached cautiously and curiously. Zack raised his gun aiming straight at the creature's head I looked at Zack and said, "No Zack don't, it's not trying to attack and if you strike first you could piss it off so just put it away and keep your guard up ok?"

Zack nodded and holstered the weapon. Once the creature was within about ten feet of us it stopped and looked us over with soft loving eyes. I slowly approached the creature with an out stretched hand showing a sign of peace; the creature closed the difference between it and me. As it inclined its head to me I noticed that its face was covered in scales while there was elaborate colouring pattern in its thick fur. I reached out further and the strange creature nuzzled its head into my palm; I slowly motioned for the others to join me and be careful. The others followed my lead and mimicked the way I had approached the creature, each one of them reached out to touch the creature and in turn the creature nuzzled each of their hands. Ashton wrapped his arms around my torso standing behind me with intrigue and curiosity all over his expression. After a minute the creature opened its mouth revealing two rows of shining white blunt square teeth. I looked at the others and said, "Guys it's ok it's a herbivore."

The creature made a snorting noise and shook its head. Just then I heard an odd slightly feminine voice say, "I'm not an it, I'm a girl. I have feelings too and I'd appreciate a little bit of consideration."

I looked at the group and asked, "Did you guys hear that?"

Everyone looked at me concerned and Ashton asked with worry on his face, "Hear what?"

I looked at him and said, "That voice."

Ashton looked at me with worry and panic all across his expression and stated, "Babe nobody said anything, Are you sure you're ok?"

The voice spoke again and said, "He's not crazy Ashton I was the one who spoke."

Everyone looked at me and said, "Ok that time I heard it."

Ashton looked around and asked, "Who said that? Show yourself."

The creature rolled her eyes and looked at him then stated, "Oh Ashton you're so quick to assume that only humans and parrots can talk but, as Lukis here has said, he doesn't know anything about this place and anything could happen."

I looked between Ashton and the creature and inquired, "Ok first of all how do you know our names, Second how can you speak English, third how'd you know what I said last night, and finally why'd I hear you the first time while nobody else did and the second time you spoke everyone was able to hear it?"

The creature answered, "I know your names, what was said last night, and your languages because I possess the ability of telepathy. The reason you were the only one to hear me the first time I spoke is because I was talking to you and no one else. While reading your minds I discovered some desires that you've not shared with even Ashton."

Ashton looked at me and asked with a mild suggestive tone, "Desires? Care to fill me in?"

I replied abruptly with, "Nope, at least not right now."

The creature looked at Ashton and said, "Many of his desires are about you and-"

I interrupted the creature by saying, "Thank you but, that won't be necessary. We don't really need to discuss it."

The creature sighed and said, "I believe he deserves to know given that they are about him."

I shot the creature a look and said firmly, "I know you don't understand the concept of human boundaries but, most people don't like it when their secrets are revealed before that person is ready to reveal them; it's considered rude."

The creature stared at me and then finally said, "Alright, Alright but, he deserves to know."

I responded flatly with, "I will tell him when I'm ready to until then nobody else will know. You got that?"

The creature said, "Alright I surrender I'll keep your secret."

I looked at her and said, "You'd better or else there'll be hell to pay."

As she sighed she said, "Talia, my name is Talia; I'm a hypacarolous"

Zack nodded and said, "Hi Talia, I'm Zack and these are my friends."

Talia rolled her eyes and said, "I know who all of you are Zack, I can read minds remember?"

Zack responded, "Then you know why we're here."

Talia stated, "You're here because of Lukis' curiosity and got stranded here when the tunnel vanished behind you. Now you're looking for a way out."

Zack nodded and asked, "You seem to know this world do you know how to get out of here?"

Talia sighed and said, "I do but, why is it that you're in such a hurry to leave Zack? This world is the biggest scientific discovery your world has ever known."

I chimed in and stated, "Yeah it is but, we have no way of documenting it my sketchbook is full and I don't have my other one on me; My phone's camera sucks so that's not gonna work either."

Colton stepped up and said, "Actually Lukis, I've been taking pictures of this place on my phone and my camera is really good."

I looked at him and stated, "Oh, ok that's a really smart idea Colton. It's good that you thought of doing that because until now the idea hadn't crossed my mind."

He blushed a little and said, "I like photography, so I bought the phone that has the best camera on the market."

"That's so cool Colton," Blake said, "How long have been into photography?"

"Pretty much all my life." Colton responded.

Our group continued complementing Colton on his photography and granted it was incredible. There was a look in Ashton's eyes every time he looked at me that triggered a small wave of guilt; he wanted to know what I was hiding from him but, I wasn't quite ready to tell anyone yet. My emotions were playing cruel games with my heart. After that Talia decided to saunter off leaving us alone with each other and our camp again.


	6. Chapter Five

Later after the encounter with Talia I crawled back into my tent with Ashton who looked a little hurt. He lay down again and I just sat beside him. When he noticed that I wasn't going to lie down he sat up and looked at me with a slightly pained expression.

I looked into his eyes and said, "I'm sorry"

He replied, "For what?

I responded, "Don't play dumb Ash, I know it hurt when Talia told you that I was hiding stuff from you and trust me that's the last thing I ever wanted to do."

"Ok it's true that it hurt a little bit when I found out you were hiding things from me," he replied, "I know you have your reasons for keeping secrets but, whatever they are you can trust me."

"I know I can and that's not even a question but, I just wasn't sure how to deal with what I was feeling and given that they were about you it made everything that much harder. Dealing with feelings like this is a new experience for me and I didn't want to ruin my relationship with you by saying what was on my mind. I guess I was scared to lose you."

"You'd never lose me babe, and I know it's not easy confronting emotions but, good or bad you and I will get through it together. If you want to tell me I'm more than willing to sit and listen but, I'm not going to force you to tell me."

"I know and that means a lot to me but, I think it's finally time I do tell you. I've wanted more from our relationship, I wanted to get physical with you but, I kept telling myself that I wasn't ready for sex yet. I was scared of what feelings like that meant and what they could do but, I also enjoyed the presence of those feelings especially when we've been kissing. The logical side of my brain has been at war with my heart because my heart says 'yes go all the way he's the one' but, my brain is saying 'no stop here you're not ready for that yet' and I have no idea which side to choose so I kept going with my brain because I was scared of what listening to my heart would do to our relationship. My emotions have been boiling over and I feel ready to burst but, I didn't know how you'd react if I told you or what that'd do to everything."

Ashton looked into my eyes with a soft sympathetic look and said, "Babe, dealing with emotions like that especially when you're madly in love is completely normal and I can't fault you for that. Truth be told I've been having the same battle with my emotions and I was scared shitless of hurting or upsetting you that I kept it hidden deep down within. Logic was telling me 'no' but everything else screamed 'yes' and it was tearing me up. We've been going out for almost a month now and I still had no idea how to tell you."

Hearing Ashton say that made my heart race and my breath catch; knowing his feelings were almost identical to my own it made a massive pressure knot release from the pit of my chest. I moved over so that I was sitting with my back against Ashton's chest and he instantly wrapped his arms around me. With the realisation that with identical desires we could say "to hell with logic" and follow our hearts going all the way but, the logical side of me still held a firm "no". I turned to face Ashton and I started kissing him hungrier and hotter than ever before; I let him take my shirt off and then I slid his off over his smooth and chiselled abs. Before long he was running his hands across the waist band of my jeans and I stopped kissing him long enough to say, "Not tonight babe, we're not going that far right now." He nodded pulling me back and kissing me again; he grabbed my butt with both hands pulling me onto his lap and then he pushed forward putting me on my back. With our secret feelings exposed to each other Ashton and I were closer than ever but, we still were taking things slow.

After an interesting night of strange creatures, passionate kisses and deep secrets revealed things were definitely different. As our group gathered around the fire pit we recounted what happened last night and I still refused to tell anyone else my secrets.

A little while after breakfast Zack looked at me and asked, "So Lukis, what was Talia talking about that you were so desperate to hide last night?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing," I quickly answered dismissively.

Blake chimed in and said, "Uh huh, I'm not buying it; you're a bad liar and you're clearly still trying to hide something."

Drew looked at Ashton and inquired, "So Ashton do you know?"

Ashton nodded subtly and stated, "I do but, I'm the only other person who will; Lukis clearly does not want to tell and I'm sure as hell not going to spill his secrets if he doesn't want to share them himself."

"Oh, then it must be some secret," Blake said with a suggestive and smug tone, "I mean given that Lukis has told us almost everything about himself so it must be pretty deep for him not to tell. I see how it is."

I looked at Blake and said flatly, "Blake I haven't told you nearly as much about myself as you think I have and everyone is entitled to their secrets including me. A person shouldn't be put on the spot if they don't want to reveal the contents of the secret; Ashton and I know because we're the people who need to know, I will tell the rest of you when I'm damn good and ready not before and Ashton won't tell anyone unless I ask him to."

Blake looked a little shocked but, remained silent; she still held a look of suspicion in her eyes though she clearly got the message I was trying to send: Drop it and leave it alone because I'm not gonna tell. There was an awkward silence amongst the group but, nobody questioned me further about what Talia was talking about. After a couple minutes of uncomfortable silence Colton finally spoke up and said, "Look guys, though a little blunt and a touch harsh, you can't fault Lukis for not wanting to tell people his secrets; he's dating one of the hottest guys in school, he's a super genius who has four doctorates, we're the first friends that he's ever had, and we've had a long and stressful past couple of days, and we're putting the burden of being responsible for all of us and his own emotions on him and frankly, it can't be easy on him. We should cut him some slack, he's probably tired and under a lot of stress and hounding him about something that he clearly doesn't want to say isn't gonna help anyone."

Blake nodded and then looked at me and said, "Colton's right Lukis, I shouldn't have pestered you about it and I'm sorry. Dealing with emotions, stress, and a massive responsibility must be hard on you; I should be trying to help you not bug you."

"It's okay Blake," I said to Blake, "as right as Colton may be; that doesn't give me the right to respond like an ass hole. I'm sorry I responded the way I did."

"You don't need to apologize to me or anyone else; I overstepped a boundary that you clearly have for a reason I deserved what you said," stated Blake.

I nodded and then said, "I think that we should head out, we've been here long enough. Who knows how time works in here? It could be the same, slower, or faster than back home."

Everyone nodded in agreement and we slowly started packing up the tents and everything else along with them. My chest felt lighter after letting Ashton know exactly how I felt and what was on my mind and it seemed that he was in a similar state. Once again Ashton made a point of matching my pace at the front of the group. Creatures that sounded like birds sang in the distance, their calls unlike any bird from Earth; harmonious and synchronized, mellow and bold. It made everything seem almost normal, _almost._

Ashton reached over and took my hand in his interlacing our fingers. I felt happier the second our hands met and I grinned as he absentmindedly rubbed my knuckles with his thumb. Holding Ashton's hand as I was just felt so natural, as if it were always meant to happen; normally I don't believe in fate or destiny but, something about the way our hands fit together made it seem that it was indeed predestined.

I got lost in thought and Ashton squeezed my hand snapping my attention back to him. He looked at me and asked, "Hey babe, you ok? You seem to be... I don't know maybe a bit off."

"I'm fine," I responded playfully, "I was just lost in thought and I guess I just zoned out a little bit."

"Lost in thought eh?" he said with a smirk, "Gonna enlighten me or are you just gonna make me guess?"

I smirked a little and gave Ashton a suggestive look. I said cheekily, "Well that all depends on how you behave."

He chuckled and grabbed me by the waist pulling me close to him and turned so my back was against a tree, pinning me between Ashton's firm chest and a solid tree. He looked deep into my eyes with a seductive smile on his face and he stated, "I'll behave however you want me to and maybe even better." As he said the last words he kissed my cheek and left a trail of kisses running down my jaw to my neck and onto my collar bone. The way he kissed me and the presence of his arm around my waist sent a frenzy of desires into my mind and a spark run through my body. I put my hand under his chin and raised it up to my lips; I kissed him gently sliding my hand further and further down his back until it rested playfully on the waistline of his jeans. I put my thumb on his lips and with a sly look on my face I said seductively, "Now now, let's behave ourselves a little bit; we have a long way to go and I have a surprise for you later but, I'm gonna keep you in suspense until then."

He arched an eyebrow and then said, "I like the sounds of that, is it a fun surprise?"

I ran my thumb down his jawline and said, "Believe me, it will be but, that's all you're getting out of me."

He pulled back and let me go smiling wildly as he did. I could see the passion behind the look he was giving me, I'd truly hooked him; I could tell that the suspense was building within in him as we walked but, he knew that I wasn't gonna tell him anymore about my 'surprise'.

As we continued to walk the weather was getting hotter but, it appeared as though a storm were fast approaching on the horizon; dark, menacing clouds were forming and flashing on the horizon, making their way closer to us. I was keeping a sceptical look on the clouds when I suddenly felt a wave of nauseous pain wash over me as if I'd just been hit with a truck. I started to fall but, Ashton caught me before I went down.

There was a very concerned look in Ashton's eyes as he checked my body for any wounds. When he was satisfied there weren't any he said, "Babe, I've got you; are you ok?"

I replied, "Yeah I think so, I just had a wave of nauseous pain hit me like a freaking truck."

Ashton's eyes burned with concern and he sat me down against a rock; he leaned over me and stuffed his jacket in behind my head. He took a shaky breath and asked, "Are you sure you're ok babe? If not what do you need?"

I responded earnestly, "Honestly Ash, I'm fine I just need a minute."

Ashton nodded pulling me into his arms. Once I felt better I stood up and started walking again. I presumed that I just had a mild flash of heat stroke; the symptoms fit and Ashton agreed. We walked for another couple hours and we found a large clearing to set up camp and ensured that it was sheltered enough in case that storm hit us before morning.

After dinner Ashton and I retired to our tent. Ashton playfully looked at me and questioned, "So now that it's just us, what's this surprise you have for me?"

I gave him a sly smile and stated cheekily, "You'll soon find out, have patience." As I said the last word I plugged my phone into my Bluetooth speaker, playing a loud and long mixed playlist.

I turned to Ashton and started teasing him; nipping at his ear, running my hand up to mid-thigh and letting it rest there for a while. He arched an eyebrow but, said nothing; his senses on overdrive. I kissed him slowly and passionately pushing him on to his back taking his shirt off. We continued like that for a while but, when his hands slid to my waistline I let him push me onto my back and slide my jeans off.

As my actions piqued his interest he asked tentatively kissing my chest, "How far are we going with this?"

I looked at him and smiled I said, "As far as possible, I'm through resisting. I want you and I'm not gonna fight it unless you want me to."

Ashton nodded and then said, "You'll find no complaints from me just as long as this is what you want."

I silently nodded and he took that as his cue to continue. I let out a gasp as he kissed all the way down my body. We found a steady rhythm and we both were moaning. My senses were short-circuiting and being overloaded with euphoria with each and every movement; it was almost impossible to tell where my body ended and his began. After we finished and cleaned up I lay against his chest smiling. We both just lay there naked against each other's bodies; our eyes saying all the words necessary. The morning after our incredible night I was mellow and in such a good mood; Ashton was too because when he woke up he was smiling and made no effort to move. 


	7. Chapter Six

About midday we stopped for a few minutes to have lunch, Ashton and I were still stealing glances at each other and smiling, Blake questioned playfully, "So what puts you two in such a good mood this morning? Did something happen last night?" the look in her eyes indicated that she already knew the answer but, I decided to go along with it.

I nodded and stated, "Yeah, we went all the way last night and it was great."

Blake arched an eyebrow and smirked. She stated with an exaggerated dramatic tone, "Well it's about time you two actually did something. I mean you've being dating for like a month now and it's no secret that you've wanted to but, haven't."

Ashton and I responded with a simple glare but, then started chuckling. I said playfully, "Yeah that's true and for my first time it was everything I anticipated and so much more."

Blake threw her hands up and stated, "Ok eww, we don't need or want to know the details of your sex lives."

I smirked and stated, "Hey don't blame me for saying it, you're the one who asked me after all."

There was a deafening crack of thunder as the sky opened up and started pouring. The rain smelled of cherry and a hint of maple I looked at Ashton and said, "Does everything in this strange world have to smell so good? It smells so much better than our world but, I would like to go home at some point."

He chuckled and stated, "Yeah I know right? It could be worse though."

I nodded in agreement I spread my arms out letting the rain wash over me. After what seemed like a week without showering, I felt disgusting and the rain seemed to be cleaning me. I noticed the others mirror my action and realized that they probably felt the same way. Once we were done playing in the warm deliciously scented rain, we took cover under a few trees. Ashton came over to me smiling wildly and he planted a kiss on my lips tracing my jawline ghosting his teeth across my skin, he continued down onto my collar bone and the feeling of him pressing me against the tree and the presence of his teeth ghosting my collar bone as he gently kissed me sent a shiver up my spine in the best way possible. A small moan escaped my lips and Ashton smiled even more. The scent of the rain on his hair and body as it mixed with his natural musk was intoxicating and wrapped around me enveloping me in a blanket once more. The rain continued to pour as the storm raged on but, at that moment I couldn't care less; I was completely lost in Ashton's touch and scent.

Lightning cracked across the sky in thunderous flashes of gold, silver, bronze, red, and even blue. I observed my friends as they watched the storm rage around us with fascination and wonder. The storm was truly wondrous the way the colours would slash through the sombre grey and morbid black accompanied by deafening thunder claps. The relentless downpour made the ground thick with mud and the air heavy with moisture and humidity. As I leaned into Ashton's chest I felt as though I was completely safe and untouchable; the realization came to me that Ashton was the guy that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I knew that it was probably too early in life to be thinking about marriage but, at that point I didn't care, my mind was made up and that was that.

After almost two hours of non-stop downpour and thunderous multi-coloured lightning the storm finally ended, leaving the ground thick and soft with auburn mud and our soaking clothes clinging to every detail of our bodies. I turned to see that Ashton's shirt was indeed clinging to every detail of his chiseled chest outlining his abs perfectly. I smiled at the realization that this gorgeous boy in front of me was mine and only mine forever.

Seeming to sense what I was thinking Ashton said, "I'm not going anywhere; you're mine forever as I'm yours forever. I'm sure it's probably too early to say this but, I know with the full weight of my heart behind my decision, I want to spend the rest of my life with you Lukis. I want to marry you after high school when I'm in college; I want to grow old with you. I don't care if it's just us for the rest of our lives; I just want to be with you. If you want kids we can easily adopt, I just want to spend every waking minute of my life making you happy as you stand by my side forever."

I smiled and threw myself into Ashton's arms saying, "Ashton that was beautiful, it's like you can read my mind because that's exactly what I want. I love you more than anything else on the entire planet and you mean everything to me; you're my world."

Ashton smiled at the remark and stated, "I love you too, so freaking much, and you're my world as evidently I am yours. There's nothing on heaven or Earth that could separate us and nothing as beautiful and special as you."

I planted a soft kiss on Ashton's lips as I beamed with joy. I looked into his eyes and said, "You smell good, it suits you but, then again what doesn't?"

He chuckled and pulled me into his arms, wrapping them around my stomach and resting his hands on my belt buckle. All of a sudden I felt Ashton lean down sliding his hand to the back of my knees and with one smooth motion picking me up bridal style, holding me in his big strong arms. I slowly wrapped my arms around the back of his neck.

I looked into his eyes and asked, "Ash, what are you doing?"

He smirked and stated, "Well there's mud all over the place, and I'd hate to see my little baby boy get all dirty."

I looked at him and said, "First of all we both know there's nothing little about me, and secondly you know I'm not as much of a city boy as I seem."

Ashton blushed and said, "Well then I guess I should just put you down then huh?"

"Noooo," I whined while giving him my best puppy dog eyes, "don't put me down, I like the way I feel when I'm in your arms."

He smiled and held me tighter he said, "Oh how could I resist a face like that? Not gonna lie I love having you in my arms."

I blushed and nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck, his heartbeat steadily drumming against my ear. Ashton started walking back to our tent, never letting his grip on me falter as he carried me bridal style. Luckily we placed our tent high enough that the mud didn't touch it and the tree completely sheltered it from the downpour. Ashton put me in the tent and smiled I felt myself smiling ear to ear. I grabbed my speaker and turned it on I went outside to one of the few non-muddy patches of grass; Ashton followed me and simply looked intrigued.

"What're you doing babe?" Ashton asked me quizzically.

"Come on Ash," I asked as I started to play a slower song, "Dance with me."

Ashton happily complied getting right up in front of me wrapping one arm around my waist as the other was in my own; he slowly took the lead as he guided me effortlessly through the movements. As the song came to an end Ashton leaned me back and then pulled me up and kissed me.

As the next song started to play Ashton turned it up and stated, "Oh my god I love this song!"

I watched gleefully as my boyfriend danced and sang along with Panic! At The Disco's Victorious and soon I joined in. we sang along with every word dancing and smiling like dorks. The next song up was my favourite song ever: I Don't Care by Fall Out Boy; I happily sang along with every word. Ashton and I just enjoyed ourselves as we sang along with song after song.

After a while Ashton looked at me and said, "Come here la mia rosa di fuoco."I smiled at the nickname and walked into Asthon's open arms.

Zack looked at me and asked, "Did he just call you his rose of fire?"

I replied," Yeah it's just a little nickname he has for me, Since when do you speak Italian?"

Zack stammered, "I... I would say but, Ashton...Ashton would probably...."

Ashton looked at Zack and asked, "I would probably what Zack?"

Zack looked at the ground and said, "Nothing, never mind, it's not worth it."

Ashton looked at Zack and said, "Zack you're my friend so I won't do anything to you." 

Zack replied, "You will this time especially given what the other day was."

Ashton seemed to clue in and said rather shortly but, understandingly , "You learned Italian for Sophie didn't you? You knew she loved it when people spoke Italian to her so you wanted to impress her even more didn't you?"

Zack nodded and said, "Yeah I did, I loved her and I wish that she was here every day Ashton."

Ashton's exterior went rigid and his tone went harsh, he said, "If you loved her so much you should have gotten off of your God Damn lazy ass and took the bloody time to be a gentleman and come get her. It's your fault she's gone; my sister is dead because you couldn't be a decent boyfriend and actually come get her."

Zack had a severely pained look in his eyes and he said, "Ashton I am so incredibly sorry for that day I wish I could take it all back, I really do. If I could go back in time and save her I would in a heartbeat but, we both saw the scene Ashton, we both know that the car would've killed both of us; her reflexes were just as fast as mine, Ashton I wish that I could go back and swap my life for hers but, I cant and I'm sorry."

Before I could say anything Ashton ran up to Zack tackling him into the mud and punching him. I was scared to move because I was no where near strong enough to stop him or pull him off. I screamed at Ashton, " **ASHTON STOP IT!!!!! HE'S YOUR BEST FRIEND!!!! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!!!"** My yells did nothing and as Zack flipped Ashton over I saw my opportunity , I grabbed Zack's gun from its holster turning the safety off. **BANG!!! BANG!!! BANG!!!** I fired three shots into the air and as the sound rang out everything around me fell silent and Ashton and Zack froze. I looked at Ashton and yelled, " **ASHTON ENOUGH!!! HE'S YOUR BEST FRIEND FOR CHRIST SAKES AND WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT THERE'S NOTHING HE COULD'VE DONE TO SAVE SOPHIE!!!** I'm sorry that you lost her and I know it hurts but, hurting Zack isn't going to bring her back. Think about it Ash is this what Sophie would've wanted? Her brother breathing the crap out of her boyfriend?"

Ashton dropped to his knees and sobbed, through his sobs he said, "I don't care, my sister is dead because of him."

I put my hand on Ashton's shoulder and said, "Ash baby listen to me, there's nothing that Zack could've done to save her and if he was there you would've lost your sister **and** your best friend. Whether you want to admit it or not you needed Zack after you lost her and you still do. Think about it Ash is this what Sophie would've wanted?"

He replied, "No I guess not, she would've wanted me to forgive him and move on but, I can't." 

I looked him in the eyes and said, " Yes you can babe, you can forgive him and move on; that doesn't mean you'll lose anything but, instead you'll get the weight of hatred and anger off of your chest." 

I was still holding the gun in my hand and nobody made a move. Just then out of no where I heard hooves racing towards us and I saw a medium sized animal that looked like a cross between a horse and a cougar charging towards us with anger in its eyes. Without a moment's hesitation I raised the gun and squeezed the trigger; **BANG!!!** The shot rang out and the creature dropped, the bullet embedded between its eyes. I looked at Zack and handed him the now saftied weapon. 

Zack looked at me and said, "Damn Lukis, where the hell'd you learn to shoot like that?"

I answered, "My dad was in the army he taught me how to defend myself and fight, he also taught me how to hunt with any weapon, and how to cook anything. He taught me a lot of things and I've never forgotten anything especially not his teachings. Before you guys ask he is still alive he is just no longer in the picture because of the PTSD he couldn't cope with being around us anymore so he checked himself into a mental hospital and told us not to visit." 

No one said another word, Zack looked at Drew and nodded his head towards the creature's body and they both started walking towards it. Minutes later they came back with the creature's dead form hanging between them. Colton had started the fire and the boys set the body down on the grass and looked at me. 

I realized that they wanted to know what we were gonna do with the body so I said, "Zack please hand me your hunting knife, Drew please grab the canned vegetables from Zack's bag as well as a can of juice and the bag of spices." 

Both boys did as I said. I carefully skinned the animal just as I was taught and I cut pieces of various shapes and sizes. I looked at the now raging bonfire and spread out the logs to reduce the height and expand the heat I used the metal grate that we were using for cooking before. I flawlessly marinated and cooked the meat and let the fire die down to embers as I placed the remaining meat on the grate letting the embers dehydrate the thin strips I created and the leaves smoke the rest of the thicker cuts. Everybody was astounded at my cooking abilities. I packed up the various cuts in saran wrap, placing them delicately in Zack's food bag. After dinner I placed the animals hide over the fire letting it dry, once I was satisfied with how dry it was I got to work on making bags and clothes out of the tough hide; one thing my father taught me about hunting was you don't waste anything that can be used because you never know when you're gonna need it. I buried the bones, organs, and head and then moved the logs back into a pile and rekindled the fire back to a roaring bonfire in the clearing. 

Once the fire was going again, Colton's step-brother Dimitri said, "Hey Lukis you said that you know how to fight?"

I looked at him and said, "Yeah, so what?" 

"Yeah so," He replied, "I want to put those so called 'skills' to the test."

I looked at him and asked harshly, "Now why the hell would you want to do that, huh?"

"Because if Ashton is gonna choose **_you_** over my brother," he retorted, "I wanna know that he at least got someone worth hurting my brother over." 

Ashton stood in front of me in a protective stance and said with venom in his tone, "Touch him and I swear to god, I'm gonna kick your ass so hard you won't be able to move your legs or sit down for a month." 

Dimitri looked at me and said, "Oh look at this you can't even withstand a verbal fight without having to get someone to defend you. Pathetic."

I looked between him and Ashton and I said, "I don't need anyone to defend me, I'm plenty capable of holding my own." As I said that I nudged Ashton and gave him a look he shook his head but, I gave him a stronger look and he backed off.

Dimitri took a step forward and said, "Prove it, You think you're so tough then why don't you put your money where your mouth is?"

Colton stood up and said in fluent Russian, "Dimitri knock it off, Ashton didn't do anything wrong, I was the one who didn't tell him that I loved him. You can't fault Ashton for falling in love with someone else if he didn't know about my feelings."

I looked at Colton and said in English, "You speak Russian fluently which means you've known for a very long time meaning that you knew what I was saying about your feelings for Ash that day."

Colton nodded and said in English, "Yeah I did, not even Drew knew I spoke Russian but, you ended up being right after all; my only question is how did you figure it out?"

I said, "I'm just good at reading people and I saw the pain in your eyes when you realized that your window with Ash closed; I'm sorry Colton I truly am I didn't want to hurt you but, I fell in love with Ash and he with me. If I had known I would've given you your chance first."

Colton responded, "Lukis it's fine honestly; I was too scared to present my feelings because I was scared of rejection, there's nothing you have to apologize for. You managed to capture Ashton's heart and you make him happy **_that_** is what matters, nothing else."

Dimitri took another step forward past Colton and he said, "Colton may forgive you for stealing his man but, I don't nobody hurts my brother and I mean **_nobody_**. You're gonna pay for that." He threw a punch at me and I countered it using his momentum against him as I put him down hard. He kept coming and I kept blocking and countering but, then he landed a cheap shot on my ribs and I snapped; I stopped going easy on him and I used my martial arts skills against him throwing punch after punch and kick after kick. I had him on the defensive not even getting the chance to counter and then, I spun around and back kicked him one more time sending him flying back and landing on the ground with a solid "Thump".

I walked over to him and said, "I'm a lot stronger and faster than I look, and I sure as hell know how to fight so don't test me. What I want to know is why the hell did you wait a month before starting this shit with me?"

He cursed in Russian then said, "I didn't have the opportunity to do it before, I've wanted to but, I couldn't."

Ashton stormed up to Dimitri with rage in his eyes and said in the harshest tone ever, "I told you that if you touched him I'd kick your ass and you did it anyways so now, I'm gonna show you that I always follow through on what I say." With his final words Ashton threw Dimitri across the clearing and when Dimitri stood Ashton was right there beating the ever living crap out of him. Dimitri never stood a chance because Ashton was way stronger and faster than he was.


	8. Chapter Seven

After the day I had, my head was absolutely throbbing and my chest now had a large bruise forming where Dimitri hit me. I was sitting at the edge of the clearing overlooking the valley over the edge of the cliff when Ashton came over to me and said, "Hey there you are, I've been looking for you. Mind if I join you?"

"Go ahead," I muttered, "It's not like I could stop you anyways."

He sat down and asked, "You're mad at me aren't you?"

I stated bluntly, "At you, at Dimitri, at myself, at this stupid world, at everything."

Ashton seemed a bit hurt but, he knew why I was mad at him. He placed a hand on my shoulder and said, "I wasn't going to kill him; I just got mad."

"Seriously Ash; You think that's all I'm mad at you for?"

"Well yeah that's what I did think but, clearly there's more. What else are you mad at me for?"

"I'm mad at you because _**you**_ scared me; when you started fighting Zack I actually thought you were gonna kill him. I saw the anger in your eyes, I saw a monster that lies within you and it scared me because what if I piss you off? What would happen then?"

Ashton pulled his hand back and looked at his lap with tears welling in his eyes threatening to spill over. He looked at me and asked in a shaky voice, "So that's what you really think? You think that I'd actually hurt **you** if _you_ somehow managed to piss me off? You think I'm a monster?"

"No Ash that's not what I really think; that's what I thought at the time. I never said you were a monster, I said that there's a monster that lies buried within you; that's the only time I've ever seen you lose your temper and your temper is the monster _**not**_ you."

"I'm sorry I scared you; normally I have better control over my temper but, when it comes to Sophie I guess I lose most control. The scars from losing her are ever-present and painful. I was always protective over her and now you, I am so sorry Luka the last thing I ever wanted was to scare you."

"Ash baby, it's ok; I forgive you I understand and it's fine. I'm sorry I hurt you."

Ashton pulled me into his arms and rubbed my shoulder. After a couple of silent minutes Ashton started quoting Italian poetry. I was so relaxed and at peace in Ashton's arms with him quoting poetry in Italian; all the anger, frustration, even my headache and the pain in my chest started to recede and disappear. The stress of the day had taken its toll on me I started falling asleep on Ashton's shoulder and within seconds I was fast asleep. He effortlessly lifted me up into his arms making sure he didn't wake me; he walked over to our tent and once we were inside, he lay down never letting me go and never waking me. The next morning the group was tense and awkward. Ashton was the first to truly break the tension; he walked over to Zack and said, "Zack listen, I'm sorry for starting a fight with you over Sophie. I know that I would've lost her regardless if you were there or not; I do love you as a friend almost my brother and I didn't mean what I said yesterday. I just want you to know that I forgive you and I'm ready to move on starting by making amends with you."

Zack looked at me and asked, "Um Lukis, what the hell did you say to him?"

I replied, "You guys heard what I said to him yesterday. Why?"

Zack said, "There had to have been something else because in all the years I've known Ashton he has never apologized that quickly after a fight."

Ashton said, "The only other thing he said was that I scared him and _**that**_ is what made me truly drop this pointless grudge against you. I was going to anyways because he was right, me fighting you is _**not**_ what Sophie would've wanted."

Blake stated, "You let it go and forgave Zack because it was _**Lukis**_ who told you to do it; that is the real reason."

"Perhaps that played a role in it," Ashton responded, "but, it was truly a pointless grudge against Zack. If he was there, I would've lost my sister and my best friend; I couldn't have handled that, I barely handled losing Sophie."

"Well I for one am glad that this is buried," Zack said with a new calm, "trying to argue with Ashton can be exhausting."

We all laughed at that and we went about the morning as if the events of last night were events in the distant past. Ashton stayed right at my side as we packed up camp and he kept an alert eye focused on Dimitri, I guess Ashton no longer trusted him not that I could blame Ash. Once the camp was packed up, we were hiking again towards the mountain range. As the day progressed, I finally managed to reclaim my hand from Ashton's grip; the entire morning he had my hand in an unceasing grip. Sunlight made the different shades of brown in his hair practically glow in a way that made me smile. The styling gel that once held my short vantablack hair in a neatly swept spiky wave washed out in the storm leaving my hair flat. I had been thinking about how I had lost my virginity to Ashton the night before last, and how I might have made a mistake. I didn't regret it by any means but, I felt that it could've been a mistake; the entire time Ash and I were together before this hidden world I was telling myself that I wasn't ready yet. Fourteen was too early to lose my virginity but, on the bright side I lost it to someone I love more than anything in the universe. The walk progressed at a steady pace as did the day, my eyes were continuously sweeping around the area as I watched for something out of the ordinary. Unfortunately before long I found something that didn't seem ordinary; I saw a darkened silhouette off to the side up ahead which really didn't seem like it was gentle.

I stopped and watched the silhouette carefully, soon I felt the grip of a Colt 45 against my arm. I turned to see Zack handing me his gun. I took the weapon and pulled the slide back chambering a bullet. I tucked the extra ammo magazines into my back pocket making sure that they were secure. I approached the figure slowly taking a wide and strategic birth as I planned each and every step. The creature let out a low growl that resonated through my body as it took very large step forward. It looked like a wolf had mated with a lizard and then gave the offspring artificial growth steroids. It had to be at least double my six foot one height at its shoulder and at least the length of a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. The dark blue furry scales that covered its body shimmered with an iridescent hue and it focused its beady amber eyes on me as it flicked its forked tongue. 

"Baby, be careful." Ashton said quietly.

"Ash get back," I hissed back, "you could get hurt if you come over here."

"So could you," he protested, "I love you and I don't want you to get hurt."

"I love you too which is why I need you to stay there. I'm armed so I can do something to protect myself and you but, you can't right now."

The creature took another step forward letting out its low resonating growl. Its beady eyes narrowed and it was close enough that I could now see the large and extremely sharp fangs glistening at the corners of its large mouth. Every time it flicked its tongue I could see the rows of ultra sharp teeth lining its gum-line. The smell of its breath was foul and reeked of rotten meat and decayed vegetation. I raised the gun aiming up to the creature's neck, it watched my movements and let out a bark that sounded more like an explosion. The ground rumbled with its bark and my ears started ringing; though slightly disoriented, I was still able to see the creature and react to its movements. It lunged at me and I dove to the side just as its jaws snapped shut where I had been standing mere seconds before. I fired four of the seven bullets at the creature but, they merely hit the hide and dropped to the ground. 

I chuckled nervously and said to myself, "Oh shit, this is not going to end well." 

The beast glared at me as it quickly approached me, it was after blood, my blood, now. I turned and started running, though the creature was right behind me, its massive legs making light work of my escape efforts. I ran towards the treeline thinking I could use it as cover, I was wrong, the beast crashed through the thick trees as if they were toothpicks. I leapt up grabbing a lower branch and used it as a gymnastics bar, I swung myself up and over it slingshotting my body to a higher branch, I repeated the slingshot to an even higher branch just as the beast tore the branch I was just on off the tree. I dropped down onto its back and it stopped moving, or at least stopped moving its legs. It rotated its head around just like an owl and glared at me as I sat on its back. The rough hide was incredibly uncomfortable even through my jeans and boxers. It snapped its jaws nearly missing me as I dove off towards the ground. Hitting the ground was rough but, it's nothing I couldn't handle. I took off running again but, once again my pursuer was right behind me; I ran back towards Ash and the others because right now I needed help. I ran to Ashton first who gave me a quick hug before matching my stride as he and the others ran with me. 

Ashton looked at me and yelled to me as we ran, "This thing is huge and now it's really pissed off."

"You think?" I snapped back sarcastically, "I thought it was a cute little puppy chasing its freaking tail. Any other stupidly obvious thing you'd like to point out at the moment?"

"Alright, alright, I get it. Do you have any ideas on how to calm this thing down?"

"No do you? Does anyone else have any bloody clue on what we could do about this beast? Or do I have to think of everything around here?"

Before anyone responded the creature let out another ground shaking bark. I really disliked the way its bark scrambled my senses. Once my senses returned to their usual sharpness I could hear fast moving water so I ran towards it, I just hoped it was a waterfall. Soon enough we found the waterfall but, something about it concerned me, the colour, it was a rich crimson. The water had a rich fragrance that was both tart and sweet; a smell that was familiar yet I couldn't quite place it. The creature had us cornered between the spiraling waterfalls, a cliff and the beast itself. I reached out and ran my fingers through the water I found it to be a comfortable temperature. I sniffed my fingers and the water smelled fruity yet tart like a berry; I licked my fingers and it tasted like cranberries mixed with raspberries.

"Guys we need to jump," I shouted to my friends, "its our only chance."

"Jump? Are you insane?" Drew shouted to me, "We don't know what's down there we could be killed."

"If we stay here, we will be killed. I don't know about you but, I don't want to become a Milk-Bone treat for this thing. I'd rather take my chances on the waterfall than see the inside of its stomach."

"Guys enough of this," Blake interjected, "we're jumping."

With her words we all jumped into the waterfall or rather juice fall. As we slid down the spiraling flow of juice, I kept hoping that the creature couldn't swim, or fly. Apparently that was too much to ask for, sort of; it started walking down the side of the spiral quickly catching up with us. To make matters worse I could feel something moving in the juice beneath us. Soon enough, strange bio-luminescent aquatic creatures that looked like geckos with fins started jumping from the juice. As one came towards me I smacked it towards the wolf thing; which ate the bio-luminescent gecko fish like a jelly bean. Finally, we were separated from the beast by the thick walls of the spirals, right before we dropped twenty feet into the pool at the bottom of the juice fall. 


End file.
